Friends who recently returned from a trip to North Carolina brought me a gift: a big jar of Duke's Mayonnaise. Right then and there I unscrewed the lid and dipped my pinky finger in the jar to get a dollop of the creamy mixture to bring to my lips.

I let it linger on my tongue for a moment and thought about myriad pairings: A blob on slices of ripe summer tomatoes; stirred into my homemade pimento cheese; smeared on buttery slices of avocado or a BLT.

For those who are not familiar with this brand of mayonnaise, allow me to give you a brief history, entitled "Duke's, A Legacy of Flavor." It's from the Southern Foodways Alliance website (my go-to for anything culinary about the South).

"The legacy of Duke's began nearly a century ago in 1917 during World War I, when Mrs. Eugenia Duke of Greenville, S.C., spread her homemade mayonnaise on sandwiches she sold to soldiers stationed at nearby Fort Sevier.

Duke's Mayonnaise, which originated in South Carolina

"Her sandwiches and the mayonnaise that gave them their special flavor became so popular that soldiers wrote to Eugenia requesting her recipe. Eugenia also sold sandwiches in drugstores and eventually, a local grocer agreed to take a few bottles of her mayonnaise on consignment. The volume of orders continued growing until she progressed from operating out of her kitchen to a separate outbuilding on her property.

"Eugenia finally invested in a delivery truck on the day that she sold her eleven thousandth sandwich."

That said, the only thing better than Duke's is MY homemade mayonnaise, the recipe for which was handed down to me by my mother. It was, and still is, the standard in my family for potato salad, chicken salad and any kind of sandwich featuring sliced tomatoes.

In the 1950s I often watched Mama make her mayo either by hand (a drop of oil at a time) or in a jar-like gadget that had a concave lid with a small hole in the center, which also accommodated a wire plunger. The egg and vinegar (or lemon juice) was put into the jar, and the oil was dripped, a little at a time, and the plunger agitated the mixture until it emulsified. I keep looking for one at flea markets, but I have not found one yet.

My Aunt Grace was also a good mayonnaise maker and I remember asking her why her mayo was bright yellow and Mama's was a pale buttery color. Her reply was "my secret ingredient is a drop or two of yellow food coloring." I still laugh about that.

Aunt Grace also advised that the egg(s) should be at room temperature before you begin your task. I have used cold eggs and never had a problem, but if you are a little anxious, you can always put a cold egg into a bowl of warm (not hot) water for a couple of minutes to take off the chill.

The method for making homemade mayo has evolved from the slow process to mayo in a minute, made either in an electric blender or food processor. I like this one-egg recipe, but if you want a bit more yield and a thicker mixture, use one whole egg and one egg yolk.

I usually use vegetable oil, but you can certainly experiment with other oils such as olive, safflower or a combination.

Blender Mayonnaise

Makes about 1 cup

1 large egg

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Pinch of sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Several dashes hot sauce

1 cup vegetable oil

In a blender container, put the egg, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, salt, black pepper and hot sauce and blend for 30 seconds on high speed. Then with the motor running, pour in the oil in a slow, steady stream.

The mixture will thicken as the oil is added. Store the mayonnaise in a airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Best when used within 48 hours because of the raw egg in the mixture.

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What I enjoy during the summer is experimenting with different flavors of mayonnaise, depending on what is on the menu. For example, this mayo made with Calvados is glorious when paired with thinly sliced, cold pork tenderloin loaded onto slices of a crusty baguette. My husband sometimes adds thinly sliced tart apples to the sandwich.

Calvados Mayonnaise

Makes about 1 cup

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Pinch or two of salt

1 cup vegetable oil

1 to 2 teaspoons Calvados (according to your taste)

A few drops of fresh lemon juice

Fresh ground black pepper

Have a clean bowl with a rolled towel wrapped around the base to prevent it from skidding around as you whisk. Whisk together the egg yolk, mustard, vinegar and salt. Whisk in the oil, drop by drop, gradually increasing it into a thin stream until the mixture thickens. Gently whisk in the Calvados, lemon juice and pepper to taste. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

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This salsa mayonnaise is delicious with shrimp, grilled chicken or fish.

Combine all the ingredients in a glass bowl and mix. Fold in the mayonnaise. Chill until ready to use.

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If you like Asian flavors, experiment with mixing soy sauce, grainy mustard, sesame oil and grated ginger into the Blender Mayonnaise. For a quick aioli, add a tablespoon of minced garlic. The possibilities are endless.